Thermosonication-assisted CaCl2 treatment reduces mung bean starch digestibility through cell-wall structural modification and starch reorganization

Conventional processing can disrupt mung bean cell-walls, increasing enzymatic access to starch and compromising their low-glycemic potential. Ca 2+ -mediated regulation of starch digestibility has mainly focused on starch structure, whereas the contribution of the cell-wall barrier remains less clear. This study investigated whether thermosonication-assisted CaCl 2 treatment could alter cell-wall and starch structures to reduce mung bean starch digestibility. Thermosonication increased cell-wall permeability and facilitated calcium accumulation. The combined treatment increased non-methyl-esterified galacturonic acid, strengthened cell-wall barrier properties, and enhanced α -amylase adsorption and inhibition. At the starch level, the combined treatment reduced starch damage and promoted granule aggregation, accompanied by increased amylose content, short-range order, V-type diffraction features, and resistant starch, together with decreased double-helical organization and relative crystallinity. These changes were associated with reduced starch hydrolysis and estimated glycemic index. The findings provide a structural strategy for developing mung bean foods with lower predicted glycemic potential.